The Safety of the Dark
by X2117
Summary: Roland goes out for a night to test out his recent armor modifications. Short story based two months after the Legend of Roland.


**This is a Short story taking place two months after The Legend of Roland. Neither Avatar, The Legend of Korra or Halo are my ideas. There's not too much to this story, I had some free time, so I figured I'd throw this out there to wet your appetites a bit. I am planning a sequel for the new year. **

The Safety of the Dark

A shadow shimmered along the brick and wooden walls in the heart of Republic City's underground. The sliver of a moon did little to illuminate anything, but the reflection in a puddle rippled from an invisible foot print as Spartan III A-258, now more commonly known as Roland glided down the alleys under the cloak of his active camouflage. It had been two months since battling Koh in the mountains and the Spartan was eager for some action. His HUD flashed a two minute warning as he neared a police officer parked where the alley intersected the street.

Slowly and methodically, Roland reached his out his hand and tapped the officer on the shoulder. The man jumped with a start and turned around in a firebending stance, but didn't see anything. A former member of the Fire Ferrets, now a police officer, Mako glanced about until he finally noticed the faint shimmer of the active camo which caused him to break into a grin.

"Nice one, Roland." Mako muttered as he lowered his arms. "Does Korra know you're out tonight?"

The Spartan III materialized in the shadows leaning against a wall. His once dull red armor was now a charcoal grey and he held his M7S casually in his arms. "Nope." The Spartan said flatly as he slid his helmet off his head with his free hand. "She is meeting with the President early in the morning so she turned in about two hours ago." Roland glanced up the street as a satmobile drove towards them. He glanced away as the headlights passed inches from where he stood. "I told her I would be out in the morning when she woke up, didn't mention I'd be up all night though."

Mako nodded his approval. "Well, either way, thanks for coming."

"So tell me about this gang."

Mako leaned back against his bike and ran his fingers through his hair. "Well, we still don't have a name on them yet. Most of the other cops think they are just a small time group, but I have seen something that would seem to prove otherwise." Mako held up a small vial of bluish liquid. "This is some type of new drug. The labs haven't been able to determine the exact composition yet, but it his mind altering properties."

Roland stepped forward and took the vial in his gloved hand. "Such as?"

"Initially it causes the mind to feel as if everything is in slow motion, but as it settles in, it takes on an adrenaline like affect, causing increased speed and strength in the short term, while the mind still thinks everything is running at less than half speed. A few of our officers have gotten pretty messed up by junkies on this stuff."

Roland nodded his understanding. "So you can link this to the No name gang?"

Mako shrugged "That is the hard part. I think they are linked, but I don't have any hard evidence. Only word of mouth from a few guys I busted." Roland passed the vial back as he continued. "That's where I got the location for this lab, but any word I pass to the department is shuffled across desks and lost. They don't trust me yet for much other than ticket writing."

Roland shrugged and slid his helmet back into place. "You going in that garb?" He asked referring to Mako's uniform.

"I am still an officer of the law." Mako reminded him. "I want to try to make this go off without bloodshed."

"But if it goes wrong, that's why I'm here." Roland added.

"Exactly." Mako pulled the keys from his bike and started walking down the alley. "It's just a few blocks this way." Roland chambered a round into his M7S and followed behind.

The two men walked for a few minutes before nearing a darkened building with a stereotypical metal door. "Let me guess" Roland muttered. "That would be it…"

Mako nodded. "A lot of officers don't come down this way very often. At least not without backup."

Roland checked the roof tops as they neared the building. "So, what's the plan?"

Mako held up a piece of paper. "First I'm just going to try a warrant."

Roland chuckled. "You're going to get blasted…"

Mako shrugged. "Then they have assaulted an officer with deadly force, and I can use the same."

Roland broke off and slid into the shadows once again as Mako strolled up the front doorstep. He glanced in Roland's direction and could only barely make out the Spartans shape. Taking a deep breath he pounded on the door and shouted. "Police, I have a warrant, open up!"

He could hear some shuffling noises coming from inside and footsteps approached the door. A metal slit slid open followed by a blast of intense fire that Mako barely managed to sidestep. "Beat it cop!" Someone shouted as the metal slammed shut. Mako shrugged and prepared to blast the door inward. With a sharp breath, be blasted lightning at the hinges and rolled to the side as more fire fried the door frame.

Mako sent his own blast of fire in causing the gang members to fall back. Roland watched as Mako moved into the building. He could see flashes of fire coming from the windows inside and men shouting. Tracing the shadows along the building, Roland came to a truck parked around back. Just then, the back door flew open and a trio of men ran out carrying a fourth with them. More fire flashed inside of the building as the men jumped into the truck. Roland sighed out of irritation as he activated his active camo and climbed under the truck. He found a good spot to hold on just as the engine revved.

"Come on man, let's go!" One guy shouted as he ran out the door quickly followed by another. They both jumped into the back of the truck and the driver gunned it, throwing them around as he sped away. Roland glanced out and saw Mako exit the building and try to send a blast of fire at them, but the driver evaded and continued to speed away.

Roland kept track of each twist and turn the driver made and estimated they were heading towards a nicer part of town. After nearly thirty minutes, the truck slowed to a halt along the curb. Both doors opened and one of the men walked around back to let the others out. "Man, that was close." Roland noted the man talking was wearing brown boots as he splashed through a puddle.

"Yeah, where did that cop come from?" The driver replied from the front of the truck.

"I don't know…" A third voice, this one from inside the truck. "All I know is he was crazy to not have any back up."

"Yeah." The first man again. "At least we already got the lab moved."

"Come on." This voice was huskier and spoke in a tone that demanded respect. "We need to go check on the lab rats."

Six sets of feet moved away from the truck. Roland waited a few seconds before peeking out from underneath. The men were entering a tall building via a service entrance. It had to be at least fifty stories tall. Roland glanced at his Active Camo timer. It read 4:05. Thankfully he had turned it off during the ride over.

A few moments later, Roland slid out from under the truck, his timer slowly counting down. He followed the shadows to the building and carefully tested the door. It was unlocked. Realizing once he opened this door, there was no way to know what was on the other side, Roland depressed his safety before turning the nob ever so slowly.

The metal hinges whined slightly as the Spartan cleared his fatal front. A T shaped hallway was all that was in front of the Spartan. He glanced down and could just barely make out the smudges from Brown Boot. The tracks turned left, so Roland did also. He followed the hallway to a service elevator where the tracks ended. Checking his six, Roland depressed the button to call the elevator down to him. The elevator announced itself with a soft ding that echoed through the halls just before the doors opened. Roland turned as the man exiting the elevator walked right into him.

"What the!" The man was more confused than anything else, and he could just barely start to make out the shape of a man as Roland's arm snaked around his neck. He struggled briefly before his body fell limp. Roland sighed out of frustration as he tried to find a place to stash the man. After shoving him in a closet, he boarded the elevator and chose to go to the top. His timer flashed a one minute warning and Roland killed the camo. The elevator rose slowly, but soon another soft ding rang out as Roland reactivated his camo. The Spartan exited on the top floor and quickly moved to the shadows and deactivated his camo once more. He glanced about the room, but didn't see much. Slowly he stalked forward until he heard voices in a room at the end of the hallway.

Quietly, the Spartan III moved to where he could over hear the conversation.

"We had a cop come snooping around." It was the man with the husky voice again. "We were on the last trip, just making sure we didn't leave anything behind."

"Did he follow you?" This voice sounded as if it came from an older man.

"No, his bike was on the other side of the building and he was alone. We got away clean."

"Good. Nothing can ruin this next shipment. The remaining equalist forces are still trying to find ways to even the battlefield, and our new drug does just that for them."

"It won't be long until the boss has the war he wants."

"Indeed. Take your men and secure the premises. And send in one of those lovely young ladies you had sent in."

Roland watched as the man exited. He was a member of the Water Tribe, although Roland couldn't tell which one. His short hair was a little out of place, but his job explained as much. He turned to the left and strolled away.

Roland approached the doorway with caution. He slid it open enough just to see that the older man was sitting at his desk looking out the window. The Spartan stepped inside and trained his M7S on the man as he spoke "Yes, the shipment will be ready in the morning." He hung up the phone and started to turn. "Haven't you been told to knock?" His words stuck in his throat when he saw the monster in front of him.

"Do what I say and you won't get hurt." Roland hissed menacingly. The color drained from the old man's face. "Where are the drugs going?"

"The piers. They are being shipped to equalist troops to help in the war."

"The war is over." Roland glanced around the room.

The old man shook his head. "The equalists are going to attack again. They are already planning terrorist attacks. The drug is supposed to help them fight better."

"Are you an equalist?" Roland asked.

"No, I'm an earth bender, I'm just a businessman trying to make a living?"

"Selling drugs to start a war?" Roland asked with a tone of sarcasm.

Just then, a knock sounded at the door. Roland looked towards the handle and got a dent in his helmet for it. The old man sent a barrage of stones at him from the corner of the room. Roland shrugged off the hits and fired a burst out of his M7S, sticking caseless rounds across the man's chest.

As the body fell to the ground, Roland jerked the door open to find a young woman standing there. He snatched her inside before she could make a noise. "I don't want to kill you." Roland's helmet didn't exactly make him sound very convincing. "I need to know where the drug lab is."

The young woman whimpered in fear. "I think… it's in the basement." She stuttered.

"Stay here and don't make a sound." Roland turned and opened the door.

"What are you going to do?" She asked.

Roland glanced over his shoulder as he muttered. "Stop them."

The Spartan moved swiftly back to the elevator and pressed the button to take him straight to the basement. At the lobby level, the elevator slowed to a stop, and Roland realized his mistake. The bell chimed as the doors slid open to reveal a trio of men. One had an electric glove on his hand and the other two seemed to be benders. As Roland squeezed the trigger, one of them earth bent a wall that absorbed the rounds and shoved it forward into the elevator pinning Roland to the back wall.

The three men rushed in as Roland shoved the wall back towards the entrance. He managed to hose the earth bender with rounds before the other man, a fire bender, blasted his weapon from his grasp. Without missing a beat, Roland drew his M6Cand fired a trio of rounds, almost point blank into the firebender and turned to face the third man. Before he could fire, the man batted the barrel upwards so the round impacted the wall above him. Roland used his free hand to grab the man's wrist before he could electrocute him, giving him time to drop his pistol down and fire a double tap into the man's chest.

Coughing up blood, the man slid down the wall into a heap, leaving bloody stains along the wall. Roland picked up his M7S and pressed the button for the basement once more. The doors attempted to shut, but the earthbender's legs were blocking the way. Roland tossed him into the lobby allowing the doors to shut and the elevator to drop down to the lowest level.

As the doors opened this time, Roland exited the blood splattered elevator. He pressed forward and came into a large room. It looked like some of the drug labs he had seen insurrectionists use in the past. Dozens of people moved around creating the deadly toxins and packaging them to be shipped off.

Roland shouldered his M7S. He wasn't big on killing innocent people, but he doubted any of the people were. The suppressed rounds tore through equipment and bodies alike, causing almost instant pandemonium. The screams of the wounded filled the halls as Roland moved forwards. He found the shipping pallets full of the drugs and glanced about for a way to destroy them. Locating a small pilot flame and some papers, Roland set fire to the entire shipment. As the flames licked higher and higher, he decided it was time to go. Choosing to forgot the elevator he started up the stairs, taking them three at a time. He smashed open the door and exited into the night street.

He paused for a moment to look back at the building, but when he turned to move again, his entire body was covered in ice. "Well, well, well, what have we hear?" The waterbender walked up behind him with a few of his men. Roland struggled, but to no avail. "Just who the bloody hell might you be?" The waterbender asked. Roland didn't reply.

"He torched the entire shipment." One of the men stammered.

The waterbender glanced over the Spartans armor. "I don't know what you are, but you are going to pay." Roland felt his icy prison melt around him as his active camo indicator flashed 5:00. A full charge. His M7S only had a few rounds in it, so he decided to fight a little differently. Drawing his knife, he glanced at the five men before him. The Spartan planned to make them a little more afraid of the dark.

Two street lights nearby offered the only light in the area. And a pair of burst from the M7S removed the light. At that moment, Roland activated his camo and slid into the shadows. "Coward!" A firebender blasted fire in his direction, but the Spartan seemed to have disappeared.

"Where'd he go?" All five men took up a fighting stance. Roland traced the shadows and snatched a man by the arm, pulling him into the shadows and plunging his knife into the man's throat before his friends could react. The fire bender sent another blast of fire, this one rippling off Roland's armor, causing it to shimmer like a spirit in the darkness.

As the flames died, Roland shot forward and smashed his fist into the firebenders face, sending him crumpling to the ground. The waterbender tried to freeze Roland in place again, but he smashed his elbow into the man's temple, knocking him unconscious. The other two men both threw bricks in Roland's direction. He turned sideways to avoid them both before rushing forward and smashing their heads together. The men were dazed and slumped back onto their knees. "Who do you work for?" Roland asked menacingly. Sirens blared in the background as the building fire blazed.

"He never told us who… it was just some business friend of his." One of the men said, motioning to the unconscious water bender.

"All I know is the man was wealthy and powerful." The other man said. Glanced up as blue lights flickered with the red ones. He could see Mako running in his direction. He turned and faded back into the shadows once more.

"What happen here?" Mako asked as he came up on the men.

One of them shuddered a bit. "I think it was a Spirit. He was here one second, then gone the next."

"He moved like a flash" The other muttered.

Mako nodded and smirked slightly. "Well then you two are lucky to be alive and headed to jail."

Roland watched from the shadow's until his HUD flashed his one minute warning once more. He moved away a good distance before fading back into the seen. He made his way back to the small boat he had taken across the channel and got back to the island with the first rays of sunlight.

He slid off his armor and stacked it in the corner to be cleaned later before sliding under the sheets next to Korra. He smiled, knowing his armor was functioning flawlessly, even with the modifications he had done to it. Korra moaned softly and rolled over to face him in her sleep. He brushed her hair out of her face and gazed at her before drifting off into a deep and well deserved sleep.

"Hey." Korra woke him with a paper to the back. It was almost noon and Roland was still curled up in the sheets.

"Mmfgh. What?" Roland asked as he rolled over and picked up the paper. The headlines read "Drug Labs Burned by Spirit" Just below it had interviews from survivors who swore the grey hulk had materialized out of the shadows and brought death with him.

"What exactly were you out doing last night?" Korra asked with a raised eyebrow.

Roland stood up and stretched before wrapping his arms around her. "Just some tests on my armor." He shrugged before kissing the girl of his dreams.

She pulled back and broke the kiss. "Hmm… Well now the Avatar… you know, bridge between the two worlds and all, gets to go pacify the city." She huffed in a slightly irritated tone.

Roland smiled broadly. "Perfect, now you can work on those people skills some more." Before she could rebuttal, he kissed her passionately, causing her to melt in his arms a bit.

Finally, they broke their kiss. "You know…" Korra whispered with her forehead on his chest. "It probably isn't good that the Avatar can be swayed so easily by a kiss."

Roland shrugged once more. "As long as it is mine." He kissed he forehead lovingly, before climbing back into bed.

Korra shook her head and chuckled a bit on her way out. "You know, I might not always be able to clean up after you."

Roland glanced at her with one eye, the other side of his face was pressed into the pillow. "See ya!" His voice was muffled by the pillow.

Korra smirked "Love you." She said just before she sent a blast of air at him that knocked him, and all the sheets off the bed. "See you in a bit!" She shouted as she ran out of the house.

Roland grinned from his heap on the floor. Tonight, there was no moon at all, it was probably time to get his armor ready for the shadows once more.

**Well, that's it. I just wanted to do a quick story as kind of a go between before I start the sequel. Hope you enjoy it, and sorry about any minor errors, I did this in the two hours I had access to a computer for. See you in January! –X2 **


End file.
